The present invention relates generally to sterilization devices. More particularly this invention relates to a device for sterilizing the handset of telephone including vertically mounted telephones, horizontally resting telephones, mobile telephones and domestic and public telephones using ultraviolet radiation.
It has long been known that germs are spread by, among other things, hand-to-hand contact. Hence there""s been much in the literature recently concerning the washing of hands in order to prevent the spreading of the common cold as well as other microbes. Recently, it has even been discovered that bacteria continue to live on writing implements that are used by individuals. As such, writing implements can also carry microbes and therefore can be a vector for the spread of disease. Telephones are no less apt to be a vector for the spread of germs. In fact, this is even more the case since individuals breathe into telephones and deposit germs thereon. It is bad enough in ones own family environment, but the spread of germs from one stranger to another via telephone handsets of public telephones, or office telephones is equally a menace.
Many objects are sterilized. For example, hospitals use sterilization routinely for surgical instruments. Typically such sterilization occurs both chemically as well as through high-pressure high temperature steam sterilization. This results in generally sterile instruments for use in surgery. The difficulty, of course, is that such devices are expensive, cumbersome, and are therefore not practical for the widespread sterilization of more common devices.
The spread of germs via bathroom articles has been the subject of invention. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,407 to Andary et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,445 to Ellis, U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,072 Ritter, U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,795 to Sakurai et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,364 to Ritter and U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,770 to Hylton et al. all disclose methods of sterilizing toothbrushes and dental articles using ultraviolet lamps.
Similarly U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,851 to Beasley et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,847 to Lackey et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,460 to Foster, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,126,572 to Chu, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,521 to Bourgue, all disclose ultraviolet based toothbrush sterilizers, while U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,877 to Choi, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,635 to Duthei, Jr. disclose general sterilization methods and apparatus wherein microorganisms are exposed to ultraviolet light. Thus it can be seen that much work has been done with respect to the sterilization of bathroom articles. However no attention has been paid to the sterilization of other common implements, specifically telephones which can clearly carry disease generating microorganisms.
It would therefore be desirable to have a convenient, readily available method and apparatus for sterilizing telephones, specifically telephone handsets in a variety of formats (i.e. fixed telephones, mobile and wireless telephones), thereby preventing the transmission of object-borne disease spreading microorganisms.
It is therefore an object to the present invention to sterilize telephones, specifically the telephone handset.
It is a further object of present invention to provide a telephone handset sterilization apparatus that can be commonly available and easy to use.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a sterilization apparatus using ultraviolet radiation as a means of sterilization of the telephone handset.
It is a further object of present invention to combine ultraviolet sterilization and ozone sterilization together to more completely sterilize telephone handsets.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a sterilization device for sterilizing telephone handsets safely and without exposing a user to ultraviolet sterilization radiation.
It is a further object of a present invention to provide a telephone handset sterilizer that operates on normal wall current or battery power.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a telephone handset sterilizer apparatus that operates automatically only when the telephone is resting in its telephone handset cradle or during the charging phase as in the case of a mobile or wireless telephone so as to minimize the exposure of the user to ultraviolet radiation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide the telephone handset sterilization via sterilization units built into new telephones and by retrofitting existing telephones with a removably attached module that sterilizes telephone handsets.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art by review of the specification that follows.
The present invention is a telephone sterilizer that sterilizes the handset of telephones, or in the case of mobile or wireless telephone, the entire telephone. The present invention comprises generally an ultraviolet light source particularly in approximately the below 200 to 300 nm wavelength range. This UV range is known for its germicidal and sterilization effects achieved by direct radiation. It is also -known that ultraviolet radiation below 200 nm can produce small quantities of ozone from oxygen in the atmosphere. Ozone, in sufficient concentrations is known to have significant germicidal and sterilization effects. Further, ozone, as a gas, is able to reach certain places and crevices in telephone handsets, for example holes or apertures in front of the handset microphone or apertures in front of the handset speaker where ultraviolet radiation might not reach. Thus the present invention uses both UV light sources that produce ozone (i.e. 200 nm and below) and those UV sources that do not (i.e. above 200 nm)
The ultraviolet light source of the present invention is mounted within a handset cradle such that the ultraviolet radiation can shine directly upon and reflect onto the earpiece and the microphone portion of a telephone handset once the telephone handset is replaced in the handset cradle (i.e. the telephone is place back on-hook).
An alternate embodiment of the present invention is used with mobile or wireless telephones (collectively those telephones that are wireless within the home in the 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz and the like, cellular telephones, digital PCS telephones and other mobile telephones of other wireless protocols such as GSM. It should be noted that the protocol of the telephone is not a part or the invention not is it claimed in any way as necessary for the present invention to function for its intended purpose.
For purposes of this specification the following definitions apply:
Telephone handset cradle: the general structure on telephones in which a telephone handset rests when the telephone is on-hook. This telephone handset cradle is also defined as the portion a mobile or wireless telephone charger stand where the telephone rests during charging of batteries.
Earpiece cradle: the portion of the telephone handset cradle in which the earpiece of the telephone handset (the part to which a user listens) rests when the telephone is on-hook.
Mouthpiece cradle: the portion of the telephone handset cradle in which the mouthpiece of the telephone handset (the part the user speaks into) rests when the telephone is on-hook.
Charging standxe2x80x94the structure used to charge the batteries of mobile or wireless telephones in which the mobile or wireless telephone rests for battery charging purposes.
The ultraviolet light source can be mounted in a number of configurations. For example, the ultraviolet lamp can be a ring type lamp at the base and around the perimeter of the earpiece and mouthpiece cradles respectively. Alternatively, tubular ultraviolet lamps can be dispose in the portion of the telephone handset cradle to illuminate the earpiece and mouthpiece.
In the case of mobile or wireless telephones, the UV light source is disposed within the charger stand so as to illuminate at least the surface of the telephone that has the earpiece and the mouthpiece/microphone.
The wavelength range of the ultraviolet radiation of the preferred embodiment of the present invention also causes a small amount of ozone to be generated. This ozone is released into the telephone handset cradle and together with the ultraviolet radiation provides a more complete sterilization of the earpiece and mouthpiece portions of the telephone handsets. In an alternative embodiment, UV radiation which does not produce ozone (i.e. above 200 nm) is used for those areas that are too enclosed, do not have proper ventilation, or where regulations so dictate.
In an alternative embodiment the present invention also comprises a top or lid (a xe2x80x9ctelephone handset cradle coverxe2x80x9d), which is hingedly or removably attached to the sterilization telephone handset cradle. This telephone handset cradle cover prevents ultraviolet radiation from escaping the area in which sterilization occurs thereby protecting any users or those who pass by the sterilization apparatus. It also contains ultraviolet lamps so that when the lid is closed over the telephone handset, the entire handset is bathed in ultraviolet radiation and surrounded by ozone (if the appropriate UV source is present) to provide complete sterilization of not only the earpiece and microphone (mouthpiece) portion of the handset but of the handle and entire handset as well.
Integral to the telephone handset cradle and its telephone handset cradle cover, is an interlocking switch, preferably spring loaded, and which is biased in the xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d position. When the telephone is in the on-hook position, or when a telephone handset cradle cover is present, when the telephone handset cradle cover is placed over the telephone handset, the switch is engaged and the ultraviolet radiation light source is turned on. When the telephone is in the off-hook position, or when the handset cover is lifted to make a telephone call, the ultraviolet radiation is immediately turned off as soon as the telephone handset is lifted or the telephone handset cradle cover is removed.
In the mobile or wireless telephone embodiment, such a switch is present and is actuated only when the telephone is engaged in the charger stand.
A timer/power circuit for the ultraviolet light source is an integral part of present invention and delivers power to the UV light sources for a specified period of time. The timing circuit is activated as soon as the telephone is placed on-hook or the telephone handset cradle cover is replaced. The timer/power circuit allows the ultraviolet light sources to remain on for a predetermined amount of time. This time is consistent with substantially complete sterilization of the telephone handset (the sterilization time). When the appropriate sterilization time has expired, the ultraviolet light source is turned off thereby 1) saving power if the unit is battery powered, 2) prolonging the life of the ultraviolet light source(s), and 3) halting the generation of ozone within the telephone handset cradle.
In the event that the telephone handset is lifted from the telephone handset cradle or the telephone handset cradle cover is lifted, or the mobile or wireless telephone is removed from the charger stand, the UV lamps are immediately turned off and the timer is reset. Upon replacing the handset in the telephone handset cradle, or upon closing of the telephone handset cradle cover, or upon replacement of the mobile or wireless telephone in its charger stand, the sterilization time period begins again and the UV lamps are turned on.
The present invention is used for desk telephones, wall mounted telephones public (pay) telephones, cellular and digital telephones that rest in a charger stand (collectively mobile or wireless telephones) and all manner of handsets requiring sterilization. The telephone handset cradle may also comprise either a screen or other porous and/or transparent material that can both support the telephone handset as well as allow the passage of ultraviolet light and ozone. Alternatively the present invention may comprise a quartz housing for the handset with UV lamps disposed below and around the quartz housing such that the ultraviolet light is allowed to pass through the quartz housing while still supporting the telephone handset. In those cases where a quartz supporting mechanism is used, sufficient gaps between the housing and quartz supporting mechanism are present to allow ozone gas to diffuse about the handset earpiece and mouthpiece as well as around the telephone handset in the embodiment where a telephone handset cradle cover is employed, thereby providing further sterilization.
A further part of the present invention is a seal made from rubber or silicone or some similar material such that when the telephone handset is place in the sterilization telephone cradle, a tight seal between the mouthpiece cradle and the mouthpiece and earpiece cradle and the earpiece is achieved. These seals shield users from direct UV light and keep any ozone generated in the immediate vicinity of the mouthpiece and earpiece respectively for better and more complete sterilization.
In yet another alternate embodiment where a cellular, digital or other wireless telephone is used, the telephone rests in a charger stand that also comprises the ultraviolet lamps and associated ozone production as noted above. In this case the telephone is sterilized during the charging process.
The present invention also comprises an indicator light whereby, when sterilization is proceeding, the indicator light is lit. When sterilization is not occurring, as in the case when the telephone handset is in the off-hook position, the handset cover is lifted, the mobile or wireless telephone is removed from its charger stand, the sterilization lamp has burned out, and/or the sterilization time period has run, the indicator light is extinguished.
The present invention can operate both on normal household current found in homes, businesses, and buildings of all types as well as on battery power. Where battery power is used it is anticipated that, in a preferred embodiment, rechargeable batteries will be present in the present invention such that sterilization can continue to take place for some period of time even during power failures. Alternatively, single use batteries are a perfectly appropriate source of energy to power the UV lamps of the current invention.
An alternate embodiment of the present invention comprises a sterilizing handset cradle that can be retrofitted to existing telephones (a xe2x80x9cretrofit handset sterilizerxe2x80x9d). This retrofit handset sterilizer has all of the components of the telephone sterilizer that is integral to a normal telephone but simply fits over the normal handset xe2x80x9ccradlexe2x80x9d that exists on most telephones. The only additional mechanism is an engaging member or means that will removably connect to the typical xe2x80x9con-hookxe2x80x9d switch in the normal telephone cradle when the retrofit handset sterilizer is placed in the normal telephone cradle. Thus when the telephone handset is placed on-hook in the retrofit handset sterilizer, the on-hook switch of the normal telephone will be engaged as well. Thereafter, telephone handset sterilization will continue as described above.
Yet another alternate embodiment is essentially a box that is dimensioned to fit over a mobile or wireless telephone. Such a sterilizer box will operate only when placed over the telephone, the sterilizer box having its own interlocking switch that allows operation only when the UV lamps are pointing away from the user and the user is shielded from the direct UV rays.